Monolithically multi-color lasing from an InGaN microdisk on a Si substrate

An optically pumped multi-color laser has been achieved using an InGaN/GaN based micro-disk with an undercut structure on a silicon substrate. The micro-disk laser has been fabricated by means of a combination of a cost-effective microsphere lithography technique and subsequent dry/wet etching processes. The microdisk laser is approximately 1 μm in diameter. The structure was designed in such a way that the vertical components of the whispering gallery (WG) modes formed can be effectively suppressed. Consequently, three clean lasing peaks at 442 nm, 493 nm and 522 nm have been achieved at room temperature by simply using a continuous-wave diode laser as an optical pumping source. Time-resolved micro photoluminescence (PL) measurements have been performed in order to further confirm the lasing by investigating the excitonic recombination dynamics of these lasing peaks. A three dimensional finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) simulation has been used for the structure design.

Genome-wide association analysis identifies potential regulatory genes for eumelanin pigmentation in chicken plumage

Plumage color in chicken is determined by the proportion of eumelanin and pheomelanin pigmentation. As the main ingredient in plumage melanin, eumelanin plays a key role in the dark black, brown and grey coloration. However, very few studies have been performed to identify the related genes and mutations on a genome-wide scale. Herein, a resource family consisting of one backcross population and two F2 cross populations between a black roster and Yukou Brown I parent stockbreed was constructed for identification of genes related to eumelanin pigmentation. Chickens with eumelanin in their plumage were classified as the case group, and the rest were considered the control group. A genome-wide association study of this phenotype and genotypes using Affymetrix 600K HD SNP arrays in this F2 family revealed 13 significantly associated SNPs and in 10 separate genes on chromosomes 1, 2, 3 and 5. Based on previous studies in model species, we inferred that genes, including NUAK family kinase 1 (NUAK1) and sonic hedgehog (SHH), may play roles in the development of neural crest cells or melanoblasts during the embryonic period, which may also affect the eumelanin pigmentation. Our results facilitate the understanding of the genetic basis of eumelanin pigmentation in chicken plumage.

Cooperation among heterogeneous prostate cancer cells in the bone metastatic niche

The growth of disseminated tumor cells into metastatic lesions depends on the establishment of a favorable microenvironment in the stroma of the target organs. Here we show that mice treated with anakinra, an antagonist of the interleukin (IL)-1β receptor (IL-1R), or harboring a targeted deletion of IL-1R are significantly less prone to develop bone tumors when inoculated in the arterial circulation with human prostate cancer (PCa) cells expressing IL-1β. Interestingly, human mesenchymal stem cells exposed in vitro to medium conditioned by IL-1β-expressing cancer cells responded by upregulating S100A4, a marker of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and this effect was blocked by anakinra. Analogously, the stroma adjacent to skeletal metastases generated in mice by IL-1β-expressing cancer cells showed a dramatic increase in S100A4, COX-2 and the alteration of 30 tumor-related genes as measured by Nanostring analysis. These effects were not observed in the stroma associated with the rare and much smaller metastases generated by the same cells in IL-1R knockout animals, confirming that tumor-secreted IL-1β generates skeletal CAFs and conditions the surrounding bone microenvironment. In skeletal lesions from patients with metastatic PCa, histological and molecular analyses revealed that IL-1β is highly expressed in cancer cells in which the androgen receptor (AR) is not detected (AR-), whereas this cytokine is uniformly absent in the AR-positive (AR+) metastatic cells. The stroma conditioned by IL-1β-expressing cancer cells served as a supportive niche also for coexisting IL-1β-lacking cancer cells, which are otherwise unable to generate tumors after independently seeding the skeleton of mice. This niche is established very early following tumor seeding and hints to a role of IL-1β in promoting early colonization of PCa at the skeletal level.

[The preparation and evaluation of the quality control materials for detection of platelet membrane glycoproteins by flow cytometry]

Objective: To prepare the quality control material for detection of platelet membrane glycoproteins by flowcytometry and evaluate the appearance traits, homogeneity and stability of it. Methods: Fresh platelets from the blood group O donors were fixed by the certain concentration of aldehyde solution and then washed by the imidazole buffer. After that, adding certain concentration of lyophilized protection solution into the preparations. The preparations were dispensed to be lyophilized and then were kept refrigerated in 2-8 ℃.According to the protocol of control of lyophilized biological products, the quality indicator for monitoring the prepared process, containing the appearance traits, the residual water, the platelet recovery and the rehydration quality were evaluated. The homogeneity and stability of these preparations were evaluated according to the CNAS-GL03 Guidance on evaluating the homogeneity and stability of samples used for proficiency testing and the ISO Guide 35 Reference material-general and statistical principles for certification. Results: The appearance traits and the rehydration quality of the quality control materials meeted the requirements, with the residual water distributed between 3.96% to 4.04% and the platelet recovery rate ranged from 68% to 72%.The homogeneity evaluation showed that there was no significant difference among the groups(P>0.05). The stability test indicated that the positive rate of platelet membrane glycoproteins CD42b, CD41 and CD62P of the quality control material was -0.14%, -0.14% and 0.74%, respectively, at 16 weeks after storage. There was no linear trend between the percentage of positive platelets with membrane glycoproteins and time(P>0.05). Conclusions: The quality control material for detection of platelet membrane glycoproteins by flow cytometry prepared by us meets the needs of the appearance traits, the residual water, the rehydration quality, the homogeneity and the longtime stability.It is hopeful to be used as internal quality control of the assay in clinic laboratory, the external quality assessment and proficiency evaluation.

Releasable and traceless PEGylation of arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides

This study reports a strategy to temporarily mask arginine residues within antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG). PEGylation protects AMPs from serum proteases, and can be released at a pharmaceutically-relevant rate. Fully active and unmodified (i.e., native) AMPs are released with time.

Arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are emerging therapeutics of interest. However, their applicability is limited by their short circulation half-life, caused in part by their small size and digestion by blood proteases. This study reports a strategy to temporarily mask arginine residues within AMPs with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol). Based on the reagent used, release of AMPs occurred in hours to days in a completely traceless fashion. In vitro, conjugates were insensitive to serum proteases, and released native AMP with full in vitro bioactivity. This strategy is thus highly relevant and should be adaptable to the entire family of arginine-rich AMPs. It may potentially be used to improve AMP-therapies by providing a more steady concentration of AMP in the blood after a single injection, avoiding toxic effects at high AMP doses, and reducing the number of doses required over the treatment duration.

Abstract P3-05-04: Impact of androgen receptor expression in fluoxymesterone-treated, estrogen receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer exposed to contemporary hormonal therapy

Background: The use of the nonselective androgen fluoxymesterone in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) diminished after the 1960s because of its adverse events and a limited understanding of its biological effects. Although fluoxymesterone has had efficacy against tamoxifen-resistant disease in clinical studies, its role in the era of contemporary hormonal therapy is unclear. Recent studies have shown that the androgen–androgen receptor (AR) complex acts as a suppressor of estrogen receptor (ER)+ breast cancer. We hypothesized that fluoxymesterone is effective against MBC that progresses despite contemporary hormonal therapy and that the drug has more clinical benefit in patients with ER+AR+ disease than in patients with ER+AR- disease. We evaluated the survival outcomes of patients with MBC who received fluoxymesterone after contemporary hormonal therapy failed and evaluated the association between ER/AR status and survival outcomes in these patients.

Methods and Materials: We included 103 patients treated with fluoxymesterone who had already received at least one prior hormonal or cytotoxic treatment for MBC between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2014, at a single institution. A pathologist reviewed these patients' tumors' ER and AR expression levels by immunohistochemical staining. Progression-free survival (PFS) was defined from the start of fluoxymesterone treatment to the date of disease progression or last follow-up. We used Cox regression analysis to examine univariate and multivariate correlates of PFS.

Results: Patients received a median of 3 (range: 0-10) prior hormonal therapies (aromatase inhibitors, tamoxifen, and/or fulvestrant) before fluoxymesterone. Of the 103 patients, 33 (32%) discontinued fluoxymesterone because of physician decision or adverse events, which included toxicity in 14 patients, and 70 (68%) were eligible for tumor response assessment by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Of these 70 patients, 2 (3%) had a complete response, 7 (10%) had a partial response, and 21 (30%) had stable disease for at least 6 months, yielding a clinical benefit rate of 43%. The median PFS was 3.9 months (95% confidence interval: 3.2–5.3 months). The multivariate analysis revealed no significant association between PFS and the type or number of prior treatments. Thirty-nine patients (38%) had archived tumor slides available for AR staining. All 39 patients had ER+ disease; 5 had ≤1%, 5 had >1% but <10%, 18 had ≥10%, and 11 had no AR nuclear expression. AR positivity defined by the presence of any AR+ cells, ≥1% AR+ cells, or ≥10% AR+ cells was not significantly associated with survival outcome.

Conclusions: Fluoxymesterone showed objective tumor response and prolonged control of ER+ MBC refractory to contemporary endocrine therapy. The number and type of prior treatments did not impact the drug's clinical benefit, and AR+ status did not influence the clinical outcome. Fluoxymesterone should be considered for patients whose ER+ MBC progresses despite contemporary hormonal therapy, regardless of their AR status.

Citation Format: Kono M, Fujii T, Lyons GR, Huo L, Bassett R, Gong Y, Karuturi MS, Tripathy D, Ueno NT. Impact of androgen receptor expression in fluoxymesterone-treated, estrogen receptor–positive metastatic breast cancer exposed to contemporary hormonal therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-05-04.

[An analysis of clinical characteristics and factors in Parkinson's disease patients with excessive daytime sleepiness]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and to identify whether EDS could influence the sleep architecture and sleep apnea-related parameters.

METHODS

A total of 130 PD patients were eligible and enrolled in the study.By the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), patients were divided into the EDS group (ESS≥10) with 61 patients and the non-EDS group (ESS<10) with 69 patients.All underwent a video-polysomnography (PSG). Clinical characteristics were mainly evaluated by the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn-Yahr(H-Y)stage.while other related scales were applied for evaluating depression, cognitive function, quality of sleep and quality of life.

RESULTS

A total of 61 patients (46.92%) were diagnosed as EDS (ESS≥10). Compared to the non-EDS group, the EDS group had significantly higher score of HAMD, UPDRSⅠand UPDRSⅡ, and significantly lower score of MoCA and PDQ (all P<0.05). Non-conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the scores of HAMD and UPDRSⅠ were the main prognostic factors for EDS.Significantly decreased sleep latency (SL) was found in the EDS group by PSG (P=0.008). The score of ESS was showed to be correlated with the scores of HAMD, MoCA, UPDRSⅠ, UPDRSⅡ, PDQ and SL.

CONCLUSIONS

PD patients with EDS have more severe depression and cognitive dysfunction and worse quality of life.Sleep structure is altered in those patients with decreased sleep latency.Mental status is closely associated with EDS, but not sleep apnea.

Methods for Addressing Technology-induced Errors: The Current State

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this paper are to review and discuss the methods that are being used internationally to report on, mitigate, and eliminate technology-induced errors.

METHODS

The IMIA Working Group for Health Informatics for Patient Safety worked together to review and synthesize some of the main methods and approaches associated with technology- induced error reporting, reduction, and mitigation. The work involved a review of the evidence-based literature as well as guideline publications specific to health informatics.

RESULTS

The paper presents a rich overview of current approaches, issues, and methods associated with: (1) safe HIT design, (2) safe HIT implementation, (3) reporting on technology-induced errors, (4) technology-induced error analysis, and (5) health information technology (HIT) risk management. The work is based on research from around the world.

CONCLUSIONS

Internationally, researchers have been developing methods that can be used to identify, report on, mitigate, and eliminate technology-induced errors. Although there remain issues and challenges associated with the methodologies, they have been shown to improve the quality and safety of HIT. Since the first publications documenting technology-induced errors in healthcare in 2005, we have seen in a short 10 years researchers develop ways of identifying and addressing these types of errors. We have also seen organizations begin to use these approaches. Knowledge has been translated into practice in a short ten years whereas the norm for other research areas is of 20 years.

Thermally Assisted Nonvolatile Memory in Monolayer MoS2 Transistors

We demonstrate a novel form of thermally-assisted hysteresis in the transfer curves of monolayer MoS₂ FETs, characterized by the appearance of a large gate-voltage window and distinct current levels that differ by a factor of ∼10². The hysteresis emerges for temperatures in excess of 400 K and, from studies in which the gate-voltage sweep parameters are varied, appears to be related to charge injection into the SiO₂ gate dielectric. The thermally-assisted memory is strongly suppressed in equivalent measurements performed on bilayer transistors, suggesting that weak screening in the monolayer system plays a vital role in generating its strongly sensitive response to the charge-injection process. By exploiting the full features of the hysteretic transfer curves, programmable memory operation is demonstrated. The essential principles demonstrated here point the way to a new class of thermally assisted memories based on atomically thin two-dimensional semiconductors.

Genome-wide association study identifies pharmacogenomic loci linked with specific antihypertensive drug treatment and new-onset diabetes

We conducted a discovery genome-wide association study with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) annotation of new-onset diabetes (NOD) among European Americans, who were exposed to a calcium channel blocker-based strategy (CCB strategy) or a β-blocker-based strategy (β-blocker strategy) in the INternational VErapamil SR Trandolapril STudy. Replication of the top signal from the SNP*treatment interaction analysis was attempted in Hispanic and African Americans, and a joint meta-analysis was performed (total 334 NOD cases and 806 matched controls). PLEKHH2 rs11124945 at 2p21 interacted with antihypertensive exposure for NOD (meta-analysis p=5.3×10⁻⁸). rs11124945 G allele carriers had lower odds for NOD when exposed to the β-blocker strategy compared with the CCB strategy [OR=0.38 (0.24-0.60), p=4.0×10⁻⁵], while A/A homozygotes exposed to the β-blocker strategy had increased odds for NOD compared with the CCB strategy [OR=2.02 (1.39-2.92), p=2.0×10⁻⁴]. eQTL annotation of the 2p21 locus provides functional support for regulating gene expression.

Hydrolysis of thorium(iv) at variable temperatures

Hydrolysis of Th(iv) was studied in tetraethylammonium perchlorate (0.10 mol kg(-1)) at variable temperatures (283-358 K) by potentiometry and microcalorimetry. Three hydrolysis reactions, mTh(4+) + nH2O = Thm(OH)n((4m-n)+) + nH(+), in which (n,m) = (2,2), (8,4), and (15,6), were invoked to describe the potentiometric and calorimetric data for solutions with the [hydroxide]/[Th(iv)] ratio ≤ 2. At higher ratios, the formation of (16,5) cannot be excluded. The hydrolysis constants, *β2,2, *β8,4, and *β15,6, increased by 3, 7, and 11 orders of magnitude, respectively, as the temperature was increased from 283 to 358 K. The enhancement is mainly due to the significant increase of the degree of ionization of water as the temperature rises. All three hydrolysis reactions are endothermic at 298 K, with enthalpies of (118 ± 4) kJ mol(-1), (236 ± 7) kJ mol(-1), and (554 ± 4) kJ mol(-1) for ΔH2,2, ΔH8,4, and ΔH15,6 respectively. The hydrolysis constants at infinite dilution have been obtained with the specific ion interaction approach. The applicability of three approaches for estimating the equilibrium constants at different temperatures, including the constant enthalpy approach, the constant heat capacity approach and the DQUANT equation was evaluated with the data from this work.

[Clinical, pathological and imaging features of primary pelvic Ewing's sarcoma]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical, pathological and imaging features of Ewing's sarcoma in pelvis and to improve knowledge and diagnosis of the disease.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of the clinical, pathological and imaging data of pathologically confirmed 13 cases of Ewing's sarcoma in pelvis was carried out between May 2008 and March 2016 in the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University and the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University.

RESULTS

The median age 13 cases of pelvic primary Ewing's sarcoma was 17 years old.The X-ray and CT imagings showed osteolytic and mixed bone destruction, CT showed mixed type in 10 cases, 8 cases of bone tumors as a flocculent, 10 cases of bone expansion failure, 10 cases of periosteal reaction, the layered 5 cases, radial in 5 cases.Thirteen cases showed soft tissue mass, soft tissue mass was equal or slightly lower density.Four cases showed heterogeneous contrast enhancement.The lesions showed low signal in T1WI and mixed high signal in T2WI of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). The boundary of the lesions were obscure, and 5 cases had patchy necrosis area, and 9 cases had incomplete false capsule, surrounding soft tissue was violated.Four cases showed heterogeneous contrast enhancement after MRI enhancement scan.

CONCLUSIONS

The age of onset of Ewing's sarcoma of the pelvis is more concentrated in about 15 years.The imaging feaures are mixed bone destruction and more bone is swelling and permeability damage, soft tissue mass is larger, bone tumor is cloudy or acicular, periosteal reaction in a layered and radial, most cases show that the false envelope is not complete.Combined with clinical and imaging examination, the diagnosis of the disease can be made.

Breast cancer incidence and mortality: trends over 40 years among women in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer incidence rates are increasing among Asian women, likely due to the changes in risk factors caused by globalization. Trends in breast cancer rates among Chinese women may differ from other Asian regions due to the implementation of a nationwide family planning program and resulting changes in women's reproductive practices. Appraisal of cancer trends can direct cancer control and public health planning, but relevant studies in China are scarce due to a lack of long-term data. We sought to evaluate secular time trends in breast cancer incidence and mortality using 40 years of cancer registry data for women in urban Shanghai.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data on invasive breast cancer incidence and mortality were collected by the Shanghai Cancer Registry. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) for incidence and mortality were calculated using the Segi/Doll 1960 world standard population. Age, period, and birth cohort effects were evaluated using age-period-cohort (APC) Poisson regression models. Overall linear trends, interpreted as the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC), were derived from the net drift in age-drift models.

RESULTS

A total of 53 885 breast cancer cases and 17 235 breast cancer-specific deaths were documented among women in urban Shanghai between 1 January 1973 and 31 December 2012. Breast cancer incidence and mortality ASRs increased by 141.2% and 26.6%, respectively. Significant age, cohort, and period effects were identified in both incidence and mortality APC models; cohort effects were pronounced. Overall, a substantial increase in breast cancer incidence (EAPC = 2.96%/year) and a moderate increase in breast cancer mortality (EAPC = 0.87%/year) was observed. A notable downward trend in mortality was identified among younger women born after 1960.

CONCLUSIONS

Forty years of cancer registry data document a tremendous increase in incidence and a slight increase in mortality for breast cancer among women in Shanghai. Effective, appropriate, and affordable breast cancer prevention and control strategies are urgently needed in China.

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of Fem1b from oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense

Feminization-1 homolog b (Fem1b) is one of the genes essential for male development and play central roles in sex determination of Caenorhabditis elegans. In this study, we cloned and characterized the full-length Fem1b cDNA from the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium nipponense (MnFem1b) in different tissues and at different developmental stages. Real-time quantitative reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) showed that the MnFem1b gene was expressed in all investigated tissues, with the highest expression level found in the testes. The results revealed that the MnFem1b gene might play roles in aspects of development of the male prawn phenotype. The RT-qPCR also revealed that MnFem1b mRNA expression was significantly increased at 10 days after metamorphosis. The expression levels in all investigated tissues showed a certain degree of sexually dimorphism, the expression levels in males were significantly higher than those in females (P < 0.05). Notably, the highest expression of MnFem1b was found in the testes. The expression of MnFem1b in different tissues indicates that it plays multiple biological functions in M. nipponense.

Leukemia cell infiltration causes defective erythropoiesis partially through MIP-1α/CCL3

Leukemia often results in severe anemia, which may significantly contribute to patient mortality and morbidity. However, the mechanisms underlying defective erythropoiesis in leukemia have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that insufficient erythropoiesis in an immunocompetent acute myeloid leukemia (AML) murine model was due to reduced proliferation of megakaryocyte erythroid progenitors and increased apoptosis of erythroblasts. Colony-forming cell assays indicated that the leukemic bone marrow (BM) plasma inhibited erythroid colony formation, whereas they had no inhibitory effect on other types of colonies. Cytokine array analysis demonstrated that the chemokine CCL3 was elevated in the plasma of AML mice and patients. CCL3 inhibited erythroid differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells, common myeloid progenitors and especially megakaryocytic-erythroid progenitors. Administration of the CCR1 antagonist partially recovered the yield of erythroid colonies in the presence of CCL3 or leukemic BM plasma. Mechanistically, we observed an increase of p38 phosphorylation and subsequent downregulation of GATA1 after CCL3 treatment. Furthermore, knockdown of CCL3 attenuated leukemic progression and alleviated anemia. Therefore, our results demonstrate that elevated CCL3 in the leukemic environment suppresses erythropoiesis via CCR1-p38 activation, suggesting a novel mechanism for the erythroid defects observed in leukemia.